Atlanta City Council Unanimously Approves 180-Foot Ferris Wheel

With a unanimous vote on Monday, the Atlanta City Council approved the installation of a 20-story Ferris wheel next to Centennial Olympic Park that is expected to provide riders with a new and unique view of the city.

The council’s vote was needed to approve the plan to ensure it would fit near existing sidewalks, utilities and the streetcar system currently being built.

The project, called Skyview Atlanta, was a no-brainer according to Councilman Kwanza Hall who told WXIA that building the Ferris wheel will not require money from the city because it is a private project on private land.

“I think we only benefit from a tax revenue perspective,” said Hall. “We get cash in, in this case, so we don’t have to make any investments or anything like that.”

The two St. Louis businessmen bringing the Ferris wheel to Atlanta, Todd Schneider and Al Mers of Pacific Development LLC, are going to assemble the 180-foot-tall wheel in a parking lot next to The Tabernacle, Skyview Atlanta spokesman Jason Evans said.

The Ferris wheel was first set up in Paris, then moved to Pensacola, and is now in Pennsylvania, waiting to come to its new home in Atlanta, the station reports.

The attraction will reportedly feature 42 “fully enclosed climate-controlled gondolas” that fit six people each. Rides would take 12 to 15 minutes and promise views of Centennial Olympic Park and the downtown skyline.

“I think it’s something people are going to really enjoy,” Evans said. “They’re going to see the city from an angle they probably haven’t seen before.”

Operators expect to attract 1,000 to 3,000 passengers each day. The attraction would operate seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to midnight.